Healing my Child Back to Health

My ability as a parent never ceases to amaze me! When my child needs me, nothing gets my way!

When  Brandon woke up in the middle of the night, he felt very warm. Instead of waking Daniel up, I decided I can take care of Brandon myself. I asked Brandon to take his temperature. I got scared when I saw his temperature was 102.9, however this fear was not going to get the better of me. I need to be strong for him.

We heated up chicken nuggets because he needed to eat, in order for me to give him medication. Brandon was so tired & lethargic from the high fever, he just kept laying his head on the chair & closing his eyes.

Meanwhile I was going back and forth, between him and the bathroom, constantly applying cool wash cloths to his forehead and neck to bring the fever down.

At one point, Brandon looked at me and said in a weak voice,  "Mommy, what if I don't ever go back to school and see my friends?" Ok, now I am getting scared. However, my fear instantly turned into motivation and a drive! How am I going to get this kid to eat so I can give him the medication?

I told him a story about his body being weak because these monsters called "fever" were attacking his body. I told him he needed to eat the food to build up his strength. Then, with strength of his body and the medication, it will get rid of all the monsters out of his body. He said, "Mommy, I don't want these monsters in my body." I said, "Ok, let's fight!" He began eating very slowly. Every time he wanted to stop, I said, "Come on Buddy, fight the monsters. You're a fighter!" I swung my hands in the air and said, "come on, don't let the monsters win, you are getting stronger!"

I was surprised that this was actually working, he was eating and his color was coming back into his face. I guess the poor little guy felt so bad, he just wanted to feel better.  When he finished his chicken nuggets he looked better! He was more animated. He took his medicine, then we decided to wake up daddy in order to give Brandon an alcohol bath. Between the food, the medicine & the alcohol bath, Brandon's temperature was down to 100 and he was back to his bouncing, happy self. Daddy went back to bed while Brandon and I started washing the dishes, I rinsed and he put them in the dishwasher.

When I put Brandon back to bed, I said, "Brandon, I am very proud of you! You are a fighter, just like mommy!!" It was only 1.5 hours, but yet I felt like I conquered the world, I nurtured my child back to health.

Dina Garcia’s Autobiography

 Dina Garcia began her speaking career at the age of three.  

It was at that age that Dina was chosen as the poster child for United Cerebral Palsy. Most children only serve in that capacity for a year or two, but Dina was so effective at tugging heart strings and personifying the UCP message that she remained for ten years.  Over that decade, she appeared on the annual UCP telethon, met many stars and donors at cocktail parties and photo shoots, as well as appearing on a CBS movie-of-the-week, “Marion Rose White” with Nancy Cartwright, now the voice of Bart Simpson, and Katherine Ross. She also played a role in the prime time soap opera, “Knots Landing” with Lisa Hartman. 

 As Dina got older, her role quickly changed from actress to advocate when she encountered discrimination in junior and senior high school due to her disability. She had to fight for the right to do her homework with a typewriter rather than having to write it out.  She even had to fight for the right to go to her neighborhood high school, against the wishes of some members of the faculty. She wound up graduating with honors.         

Dina’s advocacy skills continued at Cal State University Northridge where she was president of the Students with Disabilities Connection. She transformed the basically inactive organization into a vibrant and progressive social group. Upon graduation in 2000, there were 40 active members.

In keeping with her love for advocacy, Dina got a full-time job at theWestsideCenterfor Independent Living as a System Change Advocate. She taught self-advocacy skills to people with disabilities, educated local, state and federal legislators on the needs of their constituents with disabilities, generated communication between Los Angeles County Paratransit system and the riders and helped stop proposed cuts to the transit system that would have limited the rights of the riders.

She also served for two years on the Los Angeles City Commission on Disabilities under Mayor James Hahn. As commissioner, Dina worked to install an audio signal on a busy street, to ensure the safety of pedestrians who are visually impaired.

Dina has made several trips to Sacramento to participate in rallies, speak with legislators and give testimony at hearings to fight against cuts to services that help people with disabilities live the independent lifestyles they are entitled to.

Dina's most recently endeavor was auditioning and being casted in a new HBO Drama Series, LUCK, starring Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte. The show will premiere in January 2012 and Dina will be in four episodes.

In addition to all this, Dina is married to her husband, Daniel, owns a house, and is a mom to son, Brandon.

In her spare time, Dina enjoys snow skiing, water skiing, jet skiing, parasailing, wheelchair dancing, traveling, and, of course, spending time with her family and friends.

Dina is pursuing a career in motivational speaking because she wants to share her knowledge and experience with others.